Rick Perry: I don't lose sleep over Texas executions

Rick Perry says he doesn't lose sleep over the possibility that his state has executed an innocent man.

At Wednesday night's Republican Presidential debate in California, moderator Brian Williams noted to Perry that his state "has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times."

As Williams tried to continue asking his question, the crowd broke into applause, prompting Williams to pause.

The moderator then continued: "Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?"

Perry responded, "no, sir."

"I've never struggled with that at all," he said. "The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which -- when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that's required."

Continued Perry: "But in the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you're involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the state of Texas, and that is, you will be executed."

In July, the execution of Mexican national Humberto Leal in Texas caused controversy because Leal was not informed he could reach out to the Mexican government for legal help. There was also a lack of DNA evidence in the case. 

After Perry answered, Williams followed up by noting the audience reaction to his question, asking Perry: "What do you make of that dynamic that just happened here, the mention of the execution of 234 people drew applause?"

"I think Americans understand justice," responded the longtime governor. "I think Americans are clearly, in the vast majority of -- of cases, supportive of capital punishment."

"When you have committed heinous crimes against our citizens -- and it's a state-by-state issue, but in the state of Texas, our citizens have made that decision, and they made it clear, and they don't want you to commit those crimes against our citizens," he added. "And if you do, you will face the ultimate justice."

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[NorthrupP61]

DNA evidence is "science" and therefore suspect to the far right. Science, education, facts, truth, accuracy: Elitist.

[Tim2710]

It is too bad the moderator did not ask Perry about the Cameron Todd Willingham case. Perry signed off on Willingham's execution for murder by arson in 2004 despite receiving a report the day of the execution from arson expert Gerald Hurst. The report disproved all the state's physical evidence of arson.

Since then 10 other arson experts have agreed that there was no physical evidence of arson in the Willingham case.

[cdraper5]

Skyk1: Have you ever seenb some of the stories that come out of Texas? Those people belong on another planet.

[vet97]

As they say in Texas..."He's all hat and no cattle!"

[barbaram99]

BE VERY CAREFUL..who ye vote for...I can't tell ye who to vote for..That is yer business.. And that man is a christian...And he is saved..I don't think so..How can he brag on TV about this..Can he stand before God and say the same thing. Can he stand in the face of God he belives in and say the same thing to His face. I wonder .And they want me to go to church..They are worried about if I am saved or not..They need to look in their yard first..Before they are worried about if I am saved or not..Are we becoming like the romans..
The office of president is a power trip..That is what it has become in my eye. America has fallen in the eyes of the world to 5th place. Not number 1. We hold the AA standing with Standard and Poors. As of Aug 5,2011. We were once AAA from 1941 to aug 4,2011. That is right.
When their peers gives a person the death penalty then they best be sure the person has done the crime to get that.
Have we become that barbaic that we sand a person to their death that never did the crime. The answer is yes. Cults do as well. It is not my place to play God..
They get the death penalty and when they do it -the killer is treated humanely.Yep..The ones they kilt were not. The killer never suffers. The use menual illness to save them from death. If they are that crazy I fail to understand how they could plan out the crimes . It would seem they would have to be sane to pull it off. They willfully pulled it off. I am just a lay person..So people just love to see someone die-It is a power trip. Even for that so called christian Perry.He loses no sleep and and I would not clap for him. Very few I would.

[nirak2-2009]

What a sick man Perry is.
It's one thing to execute a guilty person, but 1 not guilty is too many and that should bother him.
This is not normal behaviour and I doubt he loses sleep for all those who lose their homes in the fire.

Is this a man Americans want for a President? OMG

[BUDDY-IN-PA]

Perry DOESN'T lose any sleep over the fires that are engulfing Texas either !!!

[love2ridend]

Dont you know liberals base vote are rapist, murders and child molesters. If they arent one they support them.

[ZoomieMSgt]

Proggies are just mad that Perry got rid of 230 Democrats...permanently.

[Irby32]

Rick Perry: I don't lose sleep over Texas executions


YOU should be...it's embarrassing that you are not

[DenverBroncofan]

by ccdsswrkr08 September 8, 2011 10:18 AM EDT
So make the necissary changes to the system so people are not wrongly convicted, don't take out the death penalty for people who are guilty.

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Until that's done there will be innocent people killed